The University of Geneva promotes quality research built upon the sharing of scientific knowledge and cooperation between researchers. Our institution thus fully subscribes to the vision of open science, which aims to ensure free, streamlined access to scientific publications, to research data, and to the methodologies used to generate data. Open science seeks to democratize access to knowledge by improving accessibility to research results, increasing the efficiency of research through tools for data management and sharing, improving research quality by facilitating more cumulative and collaborative science, and enhancing scientific integrity by making it possible to verify the reproducibility of results. It also offers researchers greater visibility for their work, and calls into question the monopoly of large publishers on scientific publications.

This Open Science Charter reflects the commitment of the University and our community to the sharing of scientific knowledge. It articulates the principles that the University of Geneva shall promote in order to enhance free access to data and results from research conducted at our institution. Implementation of these principles can be found in a roadmap that is regularly updated by the Rectorate and is part of the Digital Strategy of the University of Geneva.

University researchers shall manage data responsibly and transparently throughout the data’s life cycle. They shall manage and share the data from their research in as open a manner as possible, making the data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Researchers shall take particular care with data subject to legal and ethical requirements, for example data touching on personal privacy or the protection of intellectual property.

L’Université met à disposition des chercheurs et chercheuses, éventuellement en partenariat avec d’autres institutions, des infrastructures adéquates, robustes et économiquement viables pour la gestion des données de recherche. Elle s’engage par ailleurs à offrir des services de soutien en faveur des chercheurs et chercheuses.

In accordance with the Swiss National Strategy on Open Access, any publications from University of Geneva employees that received any public funding must be available in open access. This means that they can be read free of charge by anyone, at any time, and from anywhere via the Internet.

The University pledges, alongside our Swiss and European partners, to improve open access to scientific publications.

Efforts by researchers to make their data and publications accessible shall be taken into account during research evaluation, particularly in regards to career development (nominations, promotions, and renewal procedures) and regarding internal calls for proposals.

The University shall inform the entire university community of the issues and practices related to shared research and shall support researchers in their efforts towards open science. It shall offer training and advising for research personnel.

Researchers shall keep themselves informed of issues and practices related to open science, for example by participating in training sessions or in exchanges with their peers.